When Christian von Koenigsegg founded the company in 1994, the aim was crystal-clear: develop world-class sports cars. But since then, that creed expanded to include supercars and hypercars. Today, Koenigsegg is one of the most respected and sought-after brands in the business, managing to keep an exclusivity aura that’s only equaled by the likes of Bugatti and Pagani. Which makes signing a designer that had plenty of input in the concocting of the Chiron a natural move. Certainly not eyebrow-raising. Sasha Selipanov was also part of the design team the penned the Lamborghini Huracán and during his short stint at Genesis, where he worked under Luc Donckerwolke. We’ll get back further down the road, as we have a look at what kind of a contribution can Mr. Selipanov make to Koenigsegg’s design language.

Sasha Selipanov honed his skills with the best of the best

Sasha Selipanov worked with Sangyup Lee (former Bentley designer) and Luc Donckerwolke (former Bentley and Lamborghini designer, responsible for the Diablo, Murciélago, and Gallardo). Since he rubbed shoulders with big-names that worked on luxury car projects, Selipanov could bring that extra knowledge when it comes to interior plushness. Don’t get us wrong, but Koenigsegg’s cabins are on the hardcore side of sporty yet not exactly luxurious in the Bugatti or Bentley sense. Therefore, the Swedish carmaker might want to pump up that aspect as well.

Moreover, while at Bugatti, Sasha Selipanov reported directly to Achim Anscheidt, who is, at the time of writing, Bugatti’s design director. Mr. Anscheidt didn’t just work on the Chiron - he also contributed to several versions of the Veyron. But with the Chiron, as he puts it, the major design features “were born of technical necessity and reflect the enormous increase in power over its predecessor.” The key word here is power. And, therefore, performance. Sounds familiar? Consider this: the Agera RS, just like the Chiron, took a stab at the 0-400-0 km/h run and did it in 36.44. Whatever hypercar will come after Jesko or next to it in Koenigsegg’s lineup will need the same approach - design that follows both FUNCTION and FORM. With zero compromise. And we’re thinking Sasha Selipanov learned a thing or two about delivering that during his time at Bugatti.

While at Genesis, Sasha Selipanov penned the Essentia Concept, a futuristic, GT-shaped prototype with stunning looks. What’s even more interesting is that Mr. Selipanov firmly believes that the whole idea of a grand tourer is timeless, but he’s willing to take it to the next level by baking in a modern twist. Obviously, a GT must hold a certain degree of performance but it also has to be beautiful and ooze style from every angle. Moreover, in an interview for Car Advice, the designer admitted that it’s more “liberating” to start from a clean sheet of paper and develop a design for a brand that perhaps lacks the historical heritage of, let’s say, Bugatti or Lamborghini. And this is where Koenigsegg kind of slots in.

Vector in that fact that Mr. Selipanov likes his cars to have long hoods - a trait that’s quintessential for a grand tourer - but even more important than that, the designer puts a high price on the height of the roofline.

He’s also very aware of the fact that an all-electric vehicle of this ilk should have a long bonnet that would help accommodate the battery pack. So, is Koenigsegg planning to build a grand tourer? Could be. Would it be electric? That could also happen, especially since the Swedish carmaker has worked with Rimac before, on the Regera - which uses three electric motors that assist the 5-liter twin-turbo V-8. Of course, this is all an attempt at educated speculation. Ultimately, only time will reveal Koenigsegg’s plans for the future.

Sasha Selipanov - Career Profile

Alexander Selipanov, affectionately known as Sasha Selipanov, is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. His career as an automotive designed started in 2005 at Volkswagen. He then joined Lamborghini for a short time in 2010, but he did get to work with the team of designers that drew the Lamborghini Huracán. The next step saw him become the Head of Exterior Design at Bugatti - from his pencil stemmed the likes of Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo and Chiron. 2017 finds Sasha Selipanov as the Head of Global Advanced Design at Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury arm, where he pens down the Genesis Essentia and Mint concepts.